ALONE
by MickDunD
Summary: Summary: Ten year old orphan, Jonah Taylor is tricked into entering the Giant Chasm, the home of the Boundary Pokémon Kyurem. But instead of being frozen alive and eaten, he befriends the ice dragon and the two of them set out to find the person who can fill the void in his chest, catching Pokémon on the way to the Pokémon Master's Tournament ten years later, where a certain girl
1. Chapter 1

**ALONE**

A Pokémon Fanfic by MickDunD

Summary: Ten year old orphan, Jonah Taylor is tricked into entering the Giant Chasm, the home of the Boundary Pokémon Kyurem. But instead of being frozen alive and eaten, he befriends the ice dragon and the two of them set out to find the person who can fill the void in his chest, catching Pokémon on the way to the Pokémon Master's Tournament ten years later, where a certain girl may be able to thaw the ice around both his heart…

I do not own Pokémon. Look at Mekon's story if you want the clever stuff.

Prologue

The Giant Chasm…

I was alone…forgotten by my so-called friends…left at the mercy of the elements. I stumbled through the icy caves of the Giant Chasm, praying to Arceus that I wouldn't find the Boundary Pokémon, Kyurem, somewhere in this labyrinth. The dragon Pokémon had been a terror to the people of Lacunosa town for as long as the Unova region had existed. It was said to carry people off in the middle of the night and freeze them back in its icy lair before it devoured them.

Lacunosa Town had been my home for my entire life, as it had been for my parents before they had died a few years ago. Now i lived in the Lacunosa Orphanage with other kids who had no one. It's kinda strange because you'd think I'd have at least one friend, but mostly people ignored me, just like those killers who took my family from me.

I stumbled around a bend, teeth chattering from the cold that seemed to be radiating off the rocks, shuddered, and hunkered down in the corner of the bend, huddling up to conserve what little body head I had left. I looked around at the icy-blue walls of the tunnel that I was in. They seemed to go on forever and ever, covered in crystal-blue ice.

"Oh, why?" I moaned as a sudden gust of frigid air blew through the tunnels. "Why did I fall for that trick?"

**_FLASHBACK_**

_"I dare you," he said, crossing his arms. _

_"But I'll die!" I said back, waving my arms. "You know the story just as well as I do! Kyurem will eat me if I go near that place!"_

_"Kyurem's just a legend," he said. "Besides, I know there are some really cool Pokémon in the Crater Forrest. All you have to do is catch one, show it to me as proof, and I'll take myself out of the adoption program."_

_"But I don't even have a Pokémon," I said, grasping at preverbal straws. I did not want to go anywhere near that place for fear of Kyurem. "How am I gonna catch a Pokémon if I don't have one to battle with?"_

_"Use one of mine," he said as he tossed me a Pokéball. "It's a Pansear, so you run into Kyurem you'll have some firepower on your side."_

_I looked down at the Pokéball. This was my chance. If I caught a Pokémon, I stood a better chance of being adopted. I could have a family again all if I did one dare…_

_"Fine," I said as I clenched my hands around the Pokéball. "I'll do it."_

_Jaden smirked and stepped aside, allowing me to pass through the orphanage gates. I ran out of the building and towards Crater Forrest. _

_"Get ready world!" I yelled as I ran through the woods of Route 13. "'Cause Jonah Taylor is gonna be the next number one!"_

_END FLASHBACK_

It turns out that Jaden had tricked me. The Pokéball that was said to contain the fire Pokémon, Pansear, was really empty and now I had gotten hopelessly lost after I tried to catch a Metang I had seen enter the caverns.

"Mom…dad…," I cried, my tears freezing as they hit the floor. "Why did you have to die?"

Suddenly I heard steady breathing coming from behind me and saw clouds of condensation floating past. I looked up, hoping to see some friendly Pokémon like an Altaria. At that moment I would have killed for an unfriendly Pokémon like a Scolipede. But what I saw in front of me made me freeze...almost literally.

Standing before me was a large blue/gray dragon-like Pokémon. Its body looked like part of it had been carved from stone and other parts like its wings looked like it had been made from pieces of ice. Its head looked like a broken shard of ice with a small yellow crest in the middle and it had yellow eyes with no pupils.

"Kyurem…" I whispered.

I waited for the ice dragon to freeze me and/or eat me, but it did nothing. It just stood there and watched me with its empty yellow eyes. I watched back, amazed at the size of the Pokémon. It dwarfed me by maybe five feet and was the largest Pokémon I had ever seen. We kept watching each other, forgetting about the cold of the caves. I stood up and looked it straight its eyes, waiting for either of us to do something. Normally, I would have screamed and run away. But I guess the cold had frozen over my good judgment. Besides, I had nothing to lose if I died. I was an orphan…no family or friends. So death wasn't so bad to my eyes.

Kyurem made a soft growling noise and stepped closer to me almost cautious of me. I walked two steps closet to it and put my hand over its heart. There was a steady pulse from within its chest, but it seemed hollow…wanting of emotion. I grabbed Kyurem's underdeveloped arm and hand and placed it over my heart, moving my thin windbreaker and shirt so it could touch my bare chest. I had always known my heart was empty of true emotion…ever since my parents died and my aunt left me at the orphanage two years ago. I could tell from its heartbeat that Kyurem had been left in a similar manner. Forgotten by everyone and then remembered as a monster.

"You too, huh?" I said. "Your family left you and didn't remember you either?"

Surprisingly the Boundary Pokémon nodded and lay down, growling softly. I sat down next to it and rubbed its crest, eliciting soft content sounds from the dragon. Then something in my pocket suddenly pressed against my thigh. I reached into my pants and withdrew the empty Pokéball that Jaden had given me. The jerk had just tricked me into coming here without help so he could be adopted and I would die here in this frozen stony-cold place.

Kyurem seemed to notice the Pokéball and leaned his head forwards to touch the trigger on the front and be captured if he didn't break out of the ball. At the last second, I moved the ball away.

"Are you sure?" I asked. "You're a legendary. I'm just an orphan who fell for a trick that was supposed to kill me. Why would you want me to be your trainer?"

Kyurem growled again and tapped the ball with its nose. The capture mechanism activated and he was sucked inside. The ball dinged a second later, signaling that Kyurem had been caught. I held the ball in my hands and gazed at it. I finally had my first Pokémon: the legendary Ice Dragon, Kyurem.

I imagined the surprise on Jaden's face as I walked back the way I came, following a thin trace of sunlight that filtered through the air, thoughts of icy cold vengeance forming in my head. And surprisingly, I wasn't cold anymore. I stepped outside into the sunlight of morning. I must have been wandering around in the caves all night long. Waves of fatigue crashed over me as the realization of how long I had been up hit, but I blinked them away and staggered back towards town

When I walked back into Lacunosa town that afternoon, I felt different. I didn't feel as alone as I used to now that I had a Pokémon as my friend, a super-powerful legendary Pokémon that is. I walked back into the orphanage, my fingers closed tightly around Kyurem's Pokéball as I stepped through the gates. I saw Jaden over by the playground with a young couple who were talking to him.

"I hear from the teacher that you're very smart," the lady said as she ruffled his hair. "And I also hear that you're a Pokémon Trainer."

"I am," he said in a voice that was sickeningly too cute. "I'm the best here!"

"Then let's battle!" I yelled, causing every head in the yard to turn. "I'll make you pay for what you put me through!"

"J…Jonah?!" Jaden exclaimed. "How did you get out alive?"

"I walked," I said coldly. "I want to see that famous Pansear of yours that you "lent" me when you tricked me into going into Crater Forrest to freeze to death!"

The couple looked at Jaden, shock and disgust present on their faces the woman backed away into her boyfriend and gave Jaden a look of pure horror.

"But now I'm gonna settle the score," I said, showing the Pokeball to him. "I challenge you to a one on all. My Pokémon against all of yours! Whoever loses has to give the winner his most valuable possession! The prizes will be your Hidden Machine or my gold nugget. "

"Fine," he said as he pulled three Pokeballs from his belt and tossed them. "GO!"

He sent out a Pansear, Tepig, and a Venipede.

"So what Pokémon did you catch?" he mocked. "A Pidove? A Trubish?"

I smirked and decided it was time do some acting as I enlarged the Pokeball and held it to the sky.

"I call upon the ancient dragon!" I yelled at the sky. "Brother of Zekrom and Reshiram, awaken! Now, my dragon of ice, hear my call. GO, KYUREM…DESTROY HIS POKEMON!"

I threw the pokeball high into the air and Kyurem appeared in a flash of light. As soon as the light died away, Kyurem threw his head at the sky and let out an earsplitting roar of anger and power. The other children screamed and ran for cover, afraid of my Pokémon. Jaden's Pokémon shuddered and stepped back by Jaden yelled at them to stand and fight.

"Legendary or not, it's toast!" he yelled. "Pansear use Flame Burst, Tepig use Ember, and Venipede use Poison Sting!"

The Pokémon obeyed, spraying fire and a storm of poison needles at Kyurem. I just smirked.

"Waste those attacks with Icy Wind," I said.

Kyurem roared and breathed a gale of freezing cold wind at the fire, dousing it. The Poison Sting attack just shattered against the Kyurem's skin. I laughed at Jaden's expression as he tried to process what had just happened.

"Now, Kyurem…GLACIATE!" I yelled.

Kyurem's mouth opened again and his body glowed white-blue. He roared and waves of cold rippled off his body, washing over the entire battlefield. As soon as the cold touched the Pokémon, they were encased in layers of thick ice, forming a small glacier in the middle of the schoolyard. Jaden fell to his knees as Kyurem and I walked over to him. He was trembling in fear as the ice dragon roared again.

"Great work, Kyurem," I said, patting his thigh. "Now hand over that Hidden Machine of yours, jerk!"

He swallowed and withdrew the HM 02 from his pocket. I snatched it away and showed it to Kyurem. His body glowed as the disk activated and taught him the move Fly. I then pocketed the disk and mounted Kyurem.

"Let's leave, Kyurem," I said. "Use Fly and take us to Sinnoh!"

Kyurem roared and beat his ice wings, lifting off the ground in a shower of icy mist. He gained altitude and pretty soon we were gliding towards Sinnoh, where I heard there was a region where ice types flourished.

"I'm gonna be the greatest…" I said. "I swear, Kyurem…I'll be the greatest ice master in the world. Together…we'll be unstoppable. We'll travel the world, find the ones who killed my family and your brothers who abandoned you. And make them both pay for what they did us."

Kyurem roared and sped off towards Sinnoh, leaving a fierce blizzard in his wake.

Chapters will get longer in the future. I'm accepting an OC pokemon team for the other Main Character, Aurora


	2. Chapter 2

Six Years Later…

Snowpoint City….

I woke up as the first rays of sunshine burst through the clouds and played across my face. I felt something running up though my covers, running over my chest until a cute blue head poked through the sheets

"Gla?"

"Hey, Glaceon," I smiled and petted her head, making her purr contently. "Is everyone else up?"

"Gla gla," she nodded. "Ceon,"

"Lass?"

My Froslass poked her head though the door and smiled, a cup of coffee in her hand.

"Thank you, Froslass," I said, accepting the coffee and taking a sip. "Where's Lapras?"

Froslass pointed at the hallway, where a large blue dinosaur-like Pokémon was trying to work her large body through the doorway.

She cooed happily as she tried to work her large shell through the doorway without any success.

"Did you get stuck again?' I grinned. "And did you forget that the doorway is too small for you?"

She cooed and nodded sheepishly.

I sighed and shook my head as I got out of bed and walked over to my Pokémon. I put my hands on her blue neck and started pushing him back out the door. Froslass and Glaceon helped out, grabbing me and pushing against my back until Lapras slipped free with a pop. Glaceon then proceeded to scold her for her clumsiness until her cheeks turned red. I guess I should tell you that Lapras and Glaceon don't always get along. They always compete with each other over the stupidest of things like who can eat the most, or who can move the fastest. Only Froslass, Kyurem, and my other Pokémon refrain from such trivial competitions.

My second aunt Lorelei had helped me train all my ice Pokémon, although she has never got over the fact that I have Kyurem as my partner Pokémon. She sent me out here to Snowpoint City, a place where ice-type Pokémon are abundant. She even gave me Glaceon when she was an Eevee and told me that she would evolve on Route 217, right where I currently live. Ever since I moved in, the first thing I did was make sure to make this route impossible to travel to keep Kyurem and my final two Pokémon a secret. She was currently training my newest members of the team: a powerful Beartic and Vanilluxe I had gotten a recent trip back to Unova.

A loud roar and a high-pitched screeching cut my thoughts short. I looked out my window to see a gray and blue dragon and large blue bird Pokémon circling around outside in the sky.

"Looks like Kyurem and Articuno are back," I said as I got up and started getting dressed. "I'd better wake Regice before he freaks out and turns the house into a glacier…again."

I stuck my head outside the window and tapped Regice, who had fallen asleep on guard duty making sure the house remained undiscovered by tourists or even worse: Team Rocket. It was only three months after I had left the orphanage in Lacunosa Town that I had had discovered the identity of my parent's killers: a woman with orange hair and a man with green hair in black Team Rocket uniforms with white gloves. Ever since then, I have been trying to find those two and make them pay for killing my mother and father. But I could never gain access to the private records of the nearby security camera that captured the killers as they fled the scene of the crime. Only a Pokémon Master, the owner of the Battle Frontier, or a Region Champion could gain access to those. And since I was none of those, no matter how many times I tried to bribe Scott or battle Alder, he would always turn me down.

"Regice, wake up," I said as his eyes began to blink on and off as he woke.

He beeped a few times as a "good morning," and levitated out of the snow bank that had formed around him while he was sleeping, shaking off the snow that had collected on his body during last night's blizzard. I pulled my head inside and shook the ice off my snow white hair.

I guess I should tell you that there is a sort of "price" to owning three legendary Pokémon. When you own three legendary Pokémon of the same type, you sort of…change to match the aspects of the element of the Pokémon. Ever since I caught Articuno at the Seafoam Islands, my body has undergone a transformation. My hair has turned a shade of gray-platinum, my eyes changed to an icy blue, my internal body temperature has lowered to way below normal, and my attitude has become harsh and unforgiving towards strangers.

When I first moved here, the local Gym Leader, Candice, had tried to throw me a welcoming party. When I saw that she had invited other trainers to my house and had started to break things, I had Lapras turn them into ice sculptures and placed the blame all on Candice. She uses ice-types as well, but I know my Pokémon are much stronger.

I brushed my teeth and put on my clothes, which are heavy to help with the temperature of the environment. As I walked into the kitchen I stopped to look at all the awards I had won: Unova Pokémon League, Don George's Clubsplosion, the Orange Island League, the Jhoto Silver Conference, the Battle Frontier, and many more. I smiled as I grabbed an ice cube from the freezer. (I like eating ice, okay?) Glaceon had trotted out into the hall and nuzzled my leg as I crunched on the frozen cube.

I looked at the TV, which was playing a rerun of my final battle in last year's Clubsplosion. I had used my Beartic against some shrimp called Trip and his Conkeldurr. They just kept replaying that deciding move over and over again.

_"Conkeldurr, Hammer Arm," _Trip commanded.

_"Intercept with Ice Punch,"_ I countered.

Both attacks met and canceled each other out as Beartic jumped back and readied for the deciding blow.

_"Icicle Crash!"_

Beartic let loose a torrent of sharp iceicles the size of a spear into Conkeldurr, finishing the battle. I sighed and turned the TV off, already bored with the action replay sequence that would follow.

"What should I do now, Glaceon?" I asked my faithful Fresh Snow Pokémon as I scratched her behind her ears. "We've proven ourselves over and over now…so now what do we do?"

Glaceon hopped up on the table and grabbed a letter in her mouth. She brought it over to me and set it down. I picked it up and read the sender's address aloud.

"The…Chairman of the International Pokémon League," I said. "Wonder what they want me for?"

I opened the envelope and read the message.

"Dear Mr. Taylor," it said. "It has come to my attention that you have completed many of the achievements necessary to enter the International Pokémon Master's Tournament. We, the Pokémon League, are now hosting the Pokémon Master's Tournament and we would like for you to compete. We hope to see you in the Indigo Plateau next Friday for the opening ceremony. Sincerely, Chairman Jay Keller."

I looked at Glaceon and smiled. She smiled back at me.

"Pokémon Master," I whispered as I retuned her. "I like the sound of that."

I returned my other Pokémon and whistled for Articuno to land. I don't use Kyurem to fly with anymore because we both agree that only me and my aunt Lorelei should know of the fact that Kyurem is my Pokémon.

I quickly put on my heavy jacket, gloves, clothes, ski goggles and packed my spare clothes into a travel bag along with my toothbrush before I went outside to start flying. My Freeze Pokémon landed and I mounted him.

"Articuno, we're entering the Master's Tournament," I said as I pulled out the Town Map I had received from my aunt. "So we need to fly south until we hit Jhoto, then fly a hard right until we hit the Indigo Plateau. Think you can handle it?"

He cawed and took off, heading south towards the Jhoto region, a fierce blizzard trailing in his wake. It always made me happy to see a blizzard in the way that a normal person got happy to see sunshine.

"Our first stop is Cerulean City," I told Articuno. "I hear the gym leaders put on some good water ballets and plays. After that, we'll fly to the Indigo Plateau for the opening ceremony."

Articuno cawed and flew off, the ice storm howling over Snowpoint City.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: A RIVALRY BEGINS

A special thanks to Kenan1312, for his character, Matty.

I whooped as we flew over the sea, putting on my ski goggles as we shot towards Kanto. I looked down at the sea and grinned. Articuno was using Blizzard to increase his speed, so we were traveling as fast as a Pokémon using Extremespeed. We swooped low over an island, freezing the palm trees on the shoreline. A couple trainers on the shoreline were covered with frost as we sped past.

I thought about how fun this whole ordeal would be. Winning the Master's Tournament would be a good experience for all of us and the world would finally know the power of ice-types. And I would do everything in my power to make sure I would win. Even if I had to freeze the whole region solid, I would win the tournament.

Cerulean city soon came into view. The whole town was a lively blue color and there was water everywhere.

"A nice looking town, huh?" I asked Articuno, who cawed in agreement. "I'm going into town for a little while, so we should land in the woods behind the city."

Articuno screeched and landed before I returned him to his Pokéball

"Take a good long rest," I told him as I walked into the city.

Everything was bright and there was water everywhere. There were also quite a few fairly attractive women around as I walked through the streets. I walked around to the local gym, where the water ballet was being held. I had a bit of time before the performance started, so I decided to get a little battling in and see what kind of trainers the Kanto region. According to the Town Map I had, there was a small battlefield right around the corner from the gym. I pulled Froslass's ball from my belt as I neared the battlefield.

Already there was a battle going on. A girl about my age with white-blonde hair and a boy a lot younger than her. The girl was using a Dragonite, and the boy was using a Serperior.

"Serperior, Frenzy Plant!" the boy said.

The Regal Pokémon obeyed and unleashed a torrent of giant thorny vines at the Dragonite.

"Dodge and use Dragon Claw!" the girl ordered with a smirk.

The dragon dodged left and right as it hacked the vines into little pieces with its powerful Dragon Claw.

"Shit, Serperior, Leaf Blade!"

The Regal Pokémon's tail glowed as it sprang towards the Dragon Pokémon and slammed the attack down on its forehead. The dragon grunted in pain, but did not go down yet.

"Stay strong, Dragonite," the girl called. "Use Hyper Beam on the ground!"

The dragon collected a sphere of red energy in its mouth and fired. The beam tore up the battlefield and sent a spray of rocks and dust at the other side, blinding the other trainer and his Serperior.

"Dragonite, use Dragon Rush!" the girl called.

The dragon Pokémon obeyed, surrounding itself in a veil of purple energy as it charged though the dust cloud and slammed into the grass snake, knocking it out with the one hit.

"Damn it, Aurora!" the boy said as he returned his Pokémon. "That's the fifth time today!"

"It's not my fault I'm the best trainer in Cerulean," the girl bragged as she petted her Dragonite.

"Then how 'bout a battle?" I asked as I held out Froslass's ball. "A one on one. No substitutions."

"Fine," she said, recklessly. "Dragonite, I choose you!"

"Froslass," I said, "show time!"

My Snow Land Pokémon emerged and faced Aurora's Dragonite.

"Dragonite, Dragon Claw!"

"Froslass, Shadow Ball!"

Froslass waited until Dragonite was point blank range before she fired, hitting Dragonite in the chest. Dragonite was pushed back as I yelled out another attack.

"Use Hail," I said as she fired a lump of ice into the air, effectively starting a hailstorm that pelted Dragonite mercilessly. "Now, use Icy Wind!"

Froslass breathed a gale of frigid air at Dragonite who took the attack full force, and was dealt double damage because of Hail. Dragonite fell to its knees.

"Uh, Dragonite, get up!" Aurora said, panicking.

"Here's a little tip," I said. "Dragon-types are weak against ice Pokémon, and you shouldn't use a Pokémon twice in a row no matter what kind of battle. Even a beginner should know these things."

"Dragonite, use Draco Meteor!" she said, a snarl of determination on her face.

The dragon type fired a volley of meteors at Froslass, who dodged them with ease using her Snow Cloak ability and the hailstorm.

"Crap!" Aurora growled as she called out what would be the deciding move. "Dragonite, Hyper Beam!"

"Froslass, Blizzard!" I called.

The two attacks met and respectively canceled each other out, but Froslass wasn't tired in the least while Dragonite was back on its knees.

"Finish it, Froslass," I said. "Ice Shard and Blizzard at the same time!"

She unleashed both attacks in the form of a stinging maelstrom of ice that battered the dragon-type into fainting dead away.

"I win," I smirked as Aurora fell to her knees. "Looks like I'm top dog now."

Aurora ran over to her Dragonite and cradled its head as I listened to the sounds of the crowd.

"No way."

"Aurora got her ass kicked."

"Amazing."

"His Pokémon was on fire!"

"It's an ice type, dummy."

"Whatever."

I grinned and returned Froslass as I began walking away.

"Hey," I called back. "Don't feel bad about the loss. I was selected for the Master's Tournament, so I don't lose."

"That's strange," she said as she retuned her Pokémon. "'Cause I'm going to that tournament too!"

"In that case you need to practice," I said, not believing that a weakling like her would be selected for an event like that. "You don't want to embarrass yourself in front of the whole world like you did just now."

Aurora's mouth just flapped as she tried to think of a retort. I just walked away and allowed my words to set in.

I walked a few blocks, enjoying the scenery of the city before I felt a cold chill on the back of my neck. I turned around and saw a boy about my age trying to hide behind the corner of the building. He saw me looking and ducked back.

I rolled my eyes behind my ski goggles and walked over, hiding behind the other edge of the corner. He peeked ever so slightly around the wall and cursed when he saw I was not there. He moved out from behind the corner and started to run.

"Looking for me?" I said.

He whirled around and I caught a glimpse of brown eyes behind his blue hoodie.

"Why were you following me?" I asked.

"I…I…," I stuttered.

"Take a breath," I said. "I'm sorry I scared you."

After a few minutes he calmed down enough to speak.

"My name is Matty," he said. "I was following you to ask you a favor."

"Look, first off, I don't know you," I said. "Why would I do you a favor?"

"Because I need to get stronger," he said. "I need to be a better trainer in order to…"

"To what?" I asked.

"…to get revenge," he whispered, pulling back his hood.

I almost grimaced when I saw the extent of the damage done. There was a scar running up his face, beginning under his chin and ending at his forehead, right under his hairline. The mark was thin, but tight, proving it had been something wickedly sharp that had inflicted the wound.

"Yikes," I pursed my lips. "Do I want to know how?"

He shrugged and sat down on a nearby bench.

"I was nine," he began, "just about to turn ten. My mom and dad were having a bit of trouble with their relationship, because mom found out she was gay. Dad didn't like that so he told her to choose between her new "life-partner" or him and me. She picked the woman and tried to leave with me anyway. Dad found out and caught her as she tried to sneak me out. She had a knife from the kitchen and…and she used it. She held me hostage and when dad called Officer Jenny, she cut me. Then her life partner came in with a gun and shot dad in the head. Officer Jenny came and they managed to play the court case, saying dad had attacked them. I tried to tell them, but they didn't I was just a kid."

He wiped his eyes, which had moistened up from his recollection.

"So that's why…," he said. "I need to get stronger so I can find them and avenge my father."

"Come on," I said as I got up from the bench. "You said you're name was Matty, right?"

"Yeah," he said as he stood up, his light brown hair falling across his eyes.

"My name is Jonah," I said. "I'm in the same position as you are."

"Revenge?"

"Revenge."

We walked side by side for a while before he parted his jacket and I saw his pokeballs. There were only five of them on his trainer's belt.

"What Pokémon do you have?" I asked as we entered the famous "fountain gardens" of Cerulean.

"A Lucario, Empleon, Luxray, a Staraptor, and a Gallade," he said. "What about you besides that Froslass you used on Aurora?"

"A Lapras, Glaceon, Vanilluxe, Beartic, and three others," I said.

"What are they?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," I chuckled. "Where are you from?"

"Sinnoh," he said. "Jubilife City."

"Never been there," I said. "'Course it is a helluva way from Lacunosa Town."

"You're from Unova, then?" he said. "Isn't there a monster legendary Pokémon living there?"

"He's not a monster," I snapped before I realized my mistake. No one but me and Lorelei was to know about Kyurem.

"And you would know this how?" he asked, the scar on his face moving as he smiled.

"My starter…," I mumbled.

"WHAT!?" he exclaimed, causing heads to turn in our direction. "YOU HAD A LEGENDARY AS YOUR STARTER!"

"Shut up!" I hissed, calming my gloved hand over his mouth. "He saved my life when I was freezing to death in the Crater Forest. He and I have been together ever since I was ten, happy?"

"That's amazing!" he said.

"I have a Regice and Articuno as well," I said.

"Now you're joking," he grinned.

I shook my head as we walked off.

"Come on," I said as we walked out of the gardens. "We've got a few hours before I have to leave."

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"The Master's Tournament," I said. "Oh, and you're coming as well."

"What? Why?"

"You asked me to help you get stronger," I smirked. "I assume you were serious about that?"

"Yeah," he smiled. "Thanks."

He stepped forwards and put out his hand.

"Friends?"

I was unsure. I never had a friend before, not even at the orphanage. According to what he wanted, Matty was my student. But maybe having a friend would work to my advantage as well.

"Sure," I said as I shook his hand. "Friends."

I hope that this 8-pager will hold you guys until I get the fourth up and running. Also I will be accepting 5 other OC'S from. Until I get them, the action will not happen. Here is the template:

Name:

Region of Birth:

Age:

Backstory:

Pokémon Team (five or six. Must identify starter and connection with it.)

Physical description.

READ AND REVIEW EVEN IF IT"S TO SAY YOU LIKED IT!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3:

**LOYAL READERS: THIS IS THE AUTHOR SPEAKING. I HAVE A VERY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMNT TO MAKE BASED ON SOME PUBLIC FEEDBACK I'VE BEEN GETTING FROM MY FRIENDS OUTSIDE : JONAH ISN'T GAY AND NEITHER IS ANY OTHER BOY IN THIS STORY, EXCEPT FOR THAT COLOSSAL FREAK, HARLEY. THANK YOU AND CONTINUE TO READ. **

ALSO, FOR ANY OF YOU WHO DON'T KNOW WHAT JONAH LOOKS LIKE, I MODLED HIM AFTER RUSSIA FROM HETALIA AXIS POWERS, MINUS THE MEDAL ON HIS COAT AND THE SCARF.

"Try it again." I said, arms crossed and determined.

"Lucario, Aura Sphere!" Matty yelled, pointing at the boulder we were using for target practice.

The Aura Pokémon formed the attack in its hands, a brilliant blue sphere of aura energy, before it lost control over the attack and the sphere fizzled out.

"Stop," I said. "Take five, Lucario. You need to rest now."

His Pokémon nodded before it jumped up on the boulder and started to meditate.

"Close," I told Matty, who had just sat down in the dust.

"But no cigar," he sighed. "Damn it, what's the trouble with that one move? We've nailed the harder ones like Bullet Punch and Close Combat."

"Aura Sphere is a really hard move," I shrugged.

He snorted and rubbed his temples.

"Give it some time," I said. "There is no use pushing your Pokémon at this point. Lucario and you will need to work it out yourselves."

My cell phone suddenly buzzed in my pocket. I grabbed it and looked the caller ID. It was my aunt Lorelei. I hit the "accept call" button and brought the speaker to my ear.

"Hello auntie,"* I said.

"Hello Jonah," she said. "Did you get the invitation?"

"For the Master's Tournament?" I asked.

"Mm-hmm."

"Yep, and I'm on my way now," I said as I sat down on a nearby bench. "How are Beartic and Vanilluxe?"

"Just fine," she said. "Both have gotten stronger to the point that I've begun to use them against challengers. They haven't lost a battle yet."

"That's excellent," I grinned. "I was thinking of using them for the preliminary challenges when I get there."

She laughed over the connection.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"Jonah, the Master's isn't like a normal competition," she said. "There are three stages of the tournament that are hard to pass before you even start battling. But I think you and your Ice-Types will do fine for the first, and by far the hardest challenge."

"What are the stages?"

"First off, there is the physical test," she said. "Then you have the mental test, and finally the coordination test."

"Any chance you'll tell me what they are?" I asked hopefully.

"Sorry, Jonah," she chuckled. "I'll meet you in the Indigo Stadium with Beartic and Vanilluxe in three days. Any idea who'll you'll substitute them for?"

"Probably Froslass and Glaceon," I said. "They need the most work."

"Got it," she said. "I'll see you in three days."

"Bye," I said as I hung up."

As I put the phone back into my pocket, Kyurem's pokeball suddenly glowed, signaling that he wanted to talk.

"Hey, Matty," I called. "I'll be right back. Try and practice some of Lucario's other moves while I'm gone."

"Kay," he called as Lucario pounded the rock with his Bullet Punch.

I ran back through the gardens and into the woods beyond. I didn't know what Pokémon lived here, but I had the feeling none of them would challenge me.

Once I had found a secluded grove, I grabbed the pokeball and tossed them high. Kyurem appeared and roared at the sky, causing all the Pokémon within three miles to flee in terror.

"Must you always be so dramatic?" I asked him.

He moved his arms like he was shrugging. I grinned and sat down next to my oldest friend and rubbed his crest the way he liked it. He growled contently as he lay down, his yellow eyes closing as he went.

"We're entering the Master's Tournament," I told him. "We've almost done it. Soon we'll both be avenged."

He snarled in agreement and got up, cold pouring off his skin in the form of blue mist like deadly radiation. As soon as the mist reached the tree line, the trees withered and died, their trunks turning blue before they shattered from the cold. The mist washed over me as well, but after living with him for six years, I didn't mind it much.

An idea popped into my head as I turned to Kyurem.

"I think it's time we announce ourselves to the world," I said.

Kyurem nodded and his body glowed with a bright blue light. I grabbed his wing and hoisted myself onto his body, out of the way of the impending Glaciate attack.

"Ready?" I asked.

He nodded and growled.

"Then let's turn this forest into an ice rink," I said. "USE GLACIATE!"

Kyurem roared and unleashed the energy of a thousand ice ages from deep within his body. The pulses of energy washed over the trees, encasing them all in deep layers of ice. The sheets of frozen water climbed from trunk to trunk until all that remained of the route was a tall glacier with a cave in the center where we stood. I smiled and pulled off my goggles. I hopped off Kyurem's back and walked over to the ice, which was as shiny as a mirror. I smiled at myself, trying to look happy, trying to mask the feeling of loneliness that was still eating away at my heart.

I sighed and put my goggles back on, acknowledging defeat to my own inner emotions.

"You know, the last time I saw my real face was six years ago," I joked, noting my blue eyes and platinum gray hair. I remembered my old face as well. In fact I used to have green eyes and black hair instead of having the hair of an albino.

Kyurem growled and jerked his head back towards the city.

"We should get back," I shrugged as I put my goggles back on. "Would you mind using Dragon Pulse to get us out of here?"

He nodded and fired a beam of purple-gray energy from his mouth. Despite the type disadvantage, the beam sliced through the ice, which should have been impossible to break even with the most powerful Fire-Type move, creating a tunnel back to the city. Kyurem and I walked side by side though the tunnel, just enjoying each other's company.

As we exited the tunnel, which opened up into the gates of the city, Kyurem turned around and let off an Ice Beam at the entrance to the tunnel, sealing it up for good. I chuckled and patted him on the shoulder as we walked through the gates.

"Good thinking," I said. "I guess I have to call you back now, before anyone sees you."

He nodded and growled as I brought out his pokeball.

"Don't worry," I said as I enlarged the ball. "I'm definitely gonna battle with you in the Master's."

He dropped low and nuzzled me before I recalled him. The second I put the ball away, Officer Jenny came screeching up on her motorcycle with Nurse Joy in the passenger car.

"Are you okay?" Joy asked.

"Just fine," I said.

"Did you see who did this?" Jenny asked as she brought out her Growlithe.

"No," I said as Nurse Joy brought out a thermometer. "And I'm not sick!"

"Growlithe, use Flamethrower!" Jenny ordered pointing at the ice.

The puppy breathed a stream of fire at Kyurem's Glaciate attack. But instead of melting through it, the flames froze the second they touched the ice adding to the glacier just as effectively as if she had thrown a bucket of water on it.

"Wha…what?!" Jenny exclaimed as she and Growlithe backed away.

Meanwhile, Nurse Joy was still trying to give me the thermometer.

"I'm not sick!" I yelled. "So put that damn thing away!"

"But this is just to make sure!" she protested as she tried to slip the piece of metal into my mouth. "Say ahh, and put it under your tongue."

"GO AWAY!" I yelled as I took off down the road into the city.

I kept running back towards the fountains where I had left Matty to practice with his Lucario. I burst from the shadow of the glacier and looked back at it. The entire forest was covered in a giant sheet of blue ice; spires of it jutting from the tallest point like Kyurem's Glaciate had designed an icy palace instead of a glacier.

"Beautiful," I smiled as I turned back around.

Matty had recalled his Lucario by the time I got back and was working with his Gallade now.

"Use Psycho Cut!" he ordered.

Gallade obeyed and its arm blades glowed purple. It rushed at the boulder that Lucario had been practicing on before. The attack sliced though the boulder cleanly, with no hint of resistance.

"Good attack," I said. "It looks like you're ready for a real battle."

"Against you?" he exclaimed. "No thanks!"

"You said you wanted to get stronger," I said as I pulled Lapras's ball out. "How are you going to get stronger of you don't challenge yourself?"

He hesitated for a second before he pulled out another pokeball.

"Empleon, I choose you!" he said as the water/steel type appeared.

"Lapras, go!" I called as my Transport Pokémon appeared.

"Empleon, let's win this with one hit," he said. "Use Whirlpool!"

The penguin Pokémon summoned a roaring whirlpool above its head. Ready to throw it at Lapras.

"Ice Beam, at the base of the vortex," I said.

Lapras cooed and fired, causing the entire vortex to turn to solid ice as the beam was caught in the rotation of the vortex. Empleon lost control of the water and nearly dropped it on its own head, stumbling back.

"Now, use Surf while it's unbalanced!"

Lapras obeyed and created a tidal wave. The water crashed down on Empleon, who streamlined its body without Matty's command.

"Aqua Jet!"

Empleon burst through the wave unharmed, its body surrounded by water. I smirked as Lapras's surf crashed down, covering the battlefield with ankle deep water. Neither of them saw my plan. Lapras was immobile on the ground, and it was too shallow for it to swim. But being part Ice-Type was a big advantage in this situation.

"Use Blizzard on the ground," I said. "Stop Empleon from moving!"

Lapras breathed a frigid gale at the soaked ground. The water froze instantly, creating a single sheet of solid ice.

"Now get on the ice and move!"

Lapras hopped on the ice and she slid across it as gracefully as a figure skater, sliding around Empleon in circles.

"Now use Sheer Cold," I said.

Using her momentum around Empleon, Lapras's attack soon had it encased in sheets of solid ice. Inside the ice, Empleon's eyes were swirls, signaling it had been knocked out.

"We win," I said as Lapras slid over to me.

"Damn," Matty laughed. "Now I see why you froze the ground."

"Tactics," I smiled.

"And I bet you're the one responsible for that new glacier, huh?" he said, gesturen to the ice Kyurem had formed.

"I told you Kyurem was my starter," I said as we walked off towards the train station. "Next stop, Indigo Plateau!"

*=I really don't see a guy like Jonah call Lorelei "auntie," but it was the only thing I could make work. READ AND REVIEW, AND TELL YOUR FRIENDS. THANK YOU!

ANOTHER CHAPTER FINISHED! SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG, THE HURRICANE HAS REALLY SHOOK ME UP. I'M AT BARNES AND NOBLE USING THEIR WIFI TO POST THIS. BTW, I AM STILL ACCEPTING OC'S FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER, BUT I AM GONNA BE USING A FEMALE OC.

ALSO, THE OC HAVE TO HAVE SPECIAL POWERS LIKE SPEAKING TO Pokémon LIKE N. OR USING AURA. BE CREATIVE!

MickDunD-Out!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4: A Step Further

**I apologize for any spelling errors. My beta is on strike. **

**My chances of ownership are like Team Rocket actually stealing Pikachu. Yeah, they're that low. **

**I'M SO SORRY IT HAS BEENS SO LONG SINCE I UPDATED, BUT HURRICANE SANDY KNOCKED OUT MY POWER AND INTENET AND I JUST GOT IT BACK, SO WAIT NO MORE, HE'S A NICE LONG CHAPTER FOR YOU GUYS. **

**Hey, I will be accepting more OC's for Jonah's preliminary round matchups, so if you want to see some good battles, send me some characters! Also, each OC is allowed to use 1 pseudo-legendary or I minor legendary like molteres, raikou, mesprit, and those Pokémon. **

**REVIEW, EVEN IF TO SAY YOU LIKED IT! IS IMPORTANT TO ME!**

A special thanks to Nothing You Need To Know for his character, whose appearance as been made into a two-parter. 

PS, I went to see that new James Bond movie, Skyfall, and the train chase scene gave some inspiration for the big battle coming up in this chapter and the next one. 

The walk from Cerulean to Saffron was a long and annoying one. Especially with Matty angry about his loss a few minutes ago. He had his hands in his jacket and was sulking, muttering under his breath. And when I was trying to decide on a strategy for the first challenge, it was pissing me off to no avail.

"Matty," I said though gritted teeth. "Will you just _shut up_!? I'm trying to think."

"Sorry, he said as he kicked a pebble.

"Thank you," I sighed as I rubbed my temples. "Now where was I?"

Lorelei had said the first of the challenges was a physical one, so deciding which of my Pokémon to use was a challenge. Out of all my Ice-Types, the one that had the most physical strength was Beartic. His Ice Punch and Icicle Crash would be a big help if the challenge had to do with fighting. But at the same time, Vanilluxe could be a big help as well. Avalanche, Icy Wind, and Sheer Cold could be helpful as well.

"Shit," I said as I slammed a tree trunk with my fist. "What's the first challenge?"

"Uhhh, Jonah," Matty said. "You shouldn't have done that."

"Why?"

"Because that's a Pecha Berry tree," he swallowed hard and backed away.

"So?"

"Beedrill use Pecha Berry trees as their nests," he said as a buzzing filled the air. "RUN!"

The swarm appeared from behind the tree line, angry as a Tauros that had stepped on a Stunfisk. Matty screamed and ran as fast as he could. I just smirked and sidestepped a few Poison Sting attacks, letting them shoot past me. Next, the same Beedrill came at me with a Twineedle attack. I just widened my stance and let the attack come.

"Jonah, get outta there!" Matty yelled as he fumbled with one of his pokeballs.

The Beedrill thrust its needle at me. I just jumped backwards as another one followed up from behind. I sidestepped it and slammed my elbow into its side. The hornet-like Pokémon doubled over as I slid under it through its legs. I drove my fist into the next one's head and knocked it over. When I stood up, the swarm had stopped attacking.

"Go home," I said as the two I had downed got back up and limped back to the swarm. "I'll be on my way now."

The Beedrill returned back to their nest, shooting a few worried looks over their shoulders as they went. I just picked up my backpack from where it had fallen during the fight, brushed it off and walked back to Matty.

"What the…?" his voice trailed off as he made gestures with his hands.

"When I first got my Beartic," I started. "We would train together by sparring with ice spears and his Icicle Crash. I learned how to dodge most physical attacks that way."

"You spar with your Pokémon?" he said, probably picturing himself sparring with one of his Fighting-Types.

"It hurts a lot," I shrugged.

"Did it get Beartic stronger?"

"Actually I was calling it training, he was calling it playtime," I shrugged.

"Wow," he said. "You're hardcore, man."

I grunted in agreement and continued walking going back into the recesses of my mind to continue thinking about the challenge.

"SHOA!"

"What?" Matty asked.

"I didn't say anything," I said. "It came from up ahead."

"HELP!" the same voice cried.

Matty and I broke into a run. Soon there were the sounds of a battle going on up ahead, Pokémon were screeching and growling and wailing as attacks hit them. Soon there were the sounds of people giving commands to the Pokémon, telling them to dodge or attack. But there were multiple voices going on, so it made me wonder why the person had called for help.

I grabbed Regice's pokeball in hand and charged through a small, overgrown path. When we emerged, I girt my teeth hard. Standing in a circle around another trainer, was a group of Team Rocket grunts.

"That ain't fair!" Matty said as his Lucario popped out and readied a Metal Claw.

"They're mine," I said, the sight of the same kind of men who had killed my parents igniting a rage deep within my chest. "HEY!"

The grunts turned around and looked at me. They must have thought I was the police due to the fear on their faces. But when they saw who I was, they exhaled and turned back to attacking.

"Get lost kid," one of them said.

"Yeah, scram if you know what's good for you," said another before they all turned back to beating up that one trainer and her probably very weak Pokémon team.

"I was going to say, that I was gonna give you one chance to walk away," I said as I enlarged Regice's ball. "But now you blew it before I even gave it to you. Regice, go!"

Regice appeared with a flash of light. He beeped a few times before the grunts got over their initial shock at seeing a legendary.

"Let's swipe it!" said one grunt. "Muk, use Sludge Bomb!"

His Pokémon turned from the person they were attacking and launched the poison type attack. But since Regice was much stronger, the attack just splattered over his body and dripped off, not even doing the slightest amount of damage,

"Charge Beam!" I said.

Regice beeped and fired the beam of electricity at the grunts, slicing it though them and their Pokémon. There was a series of horrific screams from the grunts and the Rocket Pokémon as the electrical charge coursed through them before they passed out, electrical currents sparking from their bodies. One of them, stood up and pulled out another pokeball. He wore a red scarf around his neck, signaling that he was the leader.

"Go!" he called as he sent out a Garbodor. "Use Gunk Shot!"

The poison type attack formed and was launched in a few seconds. It was a powerful attack that would probably poison Regice badly and give them an advantage over us. But Matty was apparently one step ahead.

"Lucario, Bullet Punch!" he called.

Since Lucario was part Steel-Type, the poison attack did nothing to him as it jumped though it and slammed the Bullet Punch into the Garbodor, KO-ing it with a single hit.

"Good work," I said as I recalled Regice.

"Thanks," he grinned as he rubbed Lucario's head affectionately. "Now come on, we have to help this girl. I'll check her, you help that other boy, got it?"

"I'm not in the mood," I said as I started walking towards Saffron.

"Jonah," he said as he grabbed my shoulder. "Did you even bother to look?"

I turned back around and saw a girl our age kneeling next to a boy who looked a bit older than her. The boy wasn't moving and the girl was giving CPR to him.

"Still isn't my problem," I said. "You can help if you want, but I'm on a tight schedule."

"Jonah, there is an injured person laying down after you took out an entire Team Rocket attack force with a single Charge Beam," he said. "You saved her, but now you won't help that boy?"

"Matty," I said. "You helping her now will in no way increase your chances of going out with that girl."

His face flushed red. "I…I was doing it to be a good person," he said.

"Surrrre you were," I rolled my eyes. "But like I said, I have a schedule to keep. So if you want to play the hero, go ahead. But don't expect me to wait for you."

Matty shot me a look of contempt as he ran over to the girl and dug around in his backpack for his First Aid kit. I nodded and turned my back on them.

"It's a world of the strong," I reminded myself. "The weak die and the strong live. That girl was weak, so the boy paid for her weakness. It's not my fight…"

I'm not sure if I believed that myself, but I knew it was true. The only reason I had survived so long because I was strong like my Pokémon, I wasn't strong because I helped the weak. And I had only helped Matty because he was on the same path of revenge against the killers of his family. But now I saw his weakness wasn't in body, but in his heart. Now I saw that he would never know when to cut his losses and move on, so that is the reason I left him.

Soon the sounds of Matty and the girl died out and the forest was silent again. I smiled and let my mind wander to thoughts I hadn't visited in a while: the thoughts of how I would take the lives of the two who took my family from me. I had already promised myself that I would not use my Pokémon to take revenge, and that I would use my own two hands to avenge my mother and father. The question was how would I do it?

The question kept me occupied for the rest of the walk to Saffron. At the city gates, I was greeted by Officer Jenny, the same as anywhere else in Kanto. Next, I stopped at the Pokémon Center, as I needed to make sure my team was ready for the new Saffron Battle Train.

From what I'd heard back in Unova, the Nimbasa City Train Co. had opened up a new branch in the Kanto Region, specifically for trainers. I had heard Ingo and Emmett, the old subway bosses had moved out here as well. Good thing I had kicked their asses so many times now that I wouldn't have to worry about battling.

I got my tickets and ran for the last train bound for the Indigo Plateau village just as the whistle blew. I jumped aboard just as the train was pulling away. I made it to my seat with no battles, as my reputation for freezing attacks had spread to Kanto by this time now, I'm sure.

I checked my tickets to see that I had first class tickets since I was a competitor in the Masters. The conductor of the train, who wasn't Ingo or Emmett, showed me to my car which was the caboose. When he opened the door, I saw that it had pretty much a private everything. Bathroom, bed, toilet, kitchen, you name it, it had it. It was the whole package.

"Will you be needing anything else now, sir?' the conductor asked.

"No, this is fine," I said, my expression remaining neutral as it usually did. "Thank you."

The conductor nodded and left as I took off my backpack and dumped it on the cabin's bed on my way to the kitchen. I grabbed a Sharpedo Attack ™ soft drink from the fridge and took a sip. It wasn't very cold, but it would do for now. I took my drink and went to the door that lead out onto the caboose platform. There was a window set into the door, allowing me to see the station. And running down the track towards the train was Matty and the girl from the woods. I smirked, feeling happy that I was right with my views of the world. I saw Matty run along the end of the platform, the girl tailing behind them. They jumped onto the tracks and kept running. I opened the door to the caboose deck and stepped out onto it just as Matty was an arm's distance away.

"Jonah!" he panted. "Hey, hi…"

I just looked at him behind my goggles, which thankfully were tinted blue so no one could see my eyes.

"Uh, Jonah," Matt said. "Look, I'm sorry about what happened back in the woods, alright. So will ya pull me up?"

I shook my head and started to walk back inside as the train picked up speed. But the second I touched the door, my hand wouldn't respond. Then my feet wouldn't obey either. I felt my body walk back to the railing while my mind struggled to take back control. I saw my arm reach out and grab Matty's, pulling him up and over onto the train. He was smirking as he walked back and pulled the girl up like a gentleman while whatever was controlling my body made me stand straight as a board.

_What is happening here?_ I thought as a gust of unusually cold wind passed through the air as Kyurem sensed what was happening and grew angry. _Kyurem…would you mind helping out here?_

He growled over our mental connection, which we forged when I had first met him. His pokeball, which was corroded by frost, glowed blue-white beneath my coat.

"What's going on?" Matty shuddered as the winds grew harsher and the air grew dry. Suddenly another frigid gust blew, this time coating the deck with frost. "Wha?"

"There is a legendary close by," the girl said as she readied a pokeball, "a powerful legendary….and it's very angry."

I noticed that her eyes were closed when she was speaking just then. And her expression was peaceful while Matty was freaking out. The girl must be some kind of psychic or something, which would explain how she could detect Kyurem and stay so calm. But she didn't know which legendary it was while I could tell Matty had a hunch about where this cold was coming from, and he was ready to piss himself.

_You can come out now,_ I thought over the link.

Kyurem's pokeball burst open from within my jacket with a flash of blue and a blast of cold. He roared angrily, letting off an icy wind as he crashed down behind the train and ran after it. I smirked as control retuned to my body.

"What is that?" the girl asked.

"It's called Kyurem," Matt said stepping back as Kyurem ran close enough so that he could put his head up on the railing, causing the metal to bend when he leaned on it. With the psychic chick's fear clouding her concentration, I was able to tear back control of my body.

"You got that right," I said. "And now you've gone and pissed us both off."

The psychic could clearly see the plan that was forming in my head for some icy revenge.

"There are people on this train," she said.

"Who said I was gonna hurt those people I said. "I told you that we're only pissed at the two of you."

And with that, I jumped back off the platform and onto Kyurem. I shifted around on his shoulders until I was in a comfortable position to be riding and battling.

"Let's kick things off with a Dragon Pulse at the rails!" I said.

Kyurem roared and launched the attack, pulverizing the rails behind the train into a twisted mass of steel.

"What type is it?" the girl yelled as the vibrations through the ground shook the entire train.

"Ice-Dragon," Matty said, "so ice moves are useless."

"But that means that Dragon moves are still good," she said as she threw the ball. "Haxorus, I choose you!"

The gold and black dragon burst from the ball, roaring in a display of power before it realized what it was up against.

"Matty, do you have a Dragon-type?" she asked as her Haxorus continued to growl uneasily at the sight of a legendary that it had a double type disadvantage to.

"Sorry, Shaye," he shrugged as he called out his Lucario. "But, Lucario, you help out!"

"Are you two done with the making idiots of yourselves?" I yawned. "Yes? Good, Kyurem, Dragon Pulse again! And aim at their Pokémon this time!"

With a roar, Kyurem unleashed the purple-gray blast of energy from his mouth. Shaye, Matty, and their Pokémon dodged, but the blast kept going and cut straight through the train car behind them, twisting the metal into a twisted mass for two cars straight. I peeked around Matty's shoulders to see that no one was hurt.

"What power…" Shaye said. "And anger."

"Icy Wind!" I said. "Take out that Haxorus!"

Cold poured out from the center of Kyurem's tail and rushed forwards, covering the Haxorus in snow like in an old cartoon. Under the layer of snow, I could still see it fighting to stay conscious.

"That Haxorus of yours has impressive stamina," I said. "But I'm afraid this battle ends now. Dragon Rage!"

The stream of yellow and violet flames washed over the dragon, KO-ing it. Kyurem then turned the flames on Lucario, knocking it out as well. Both trainers gaped at Kyurem's power as Shaye and Matty recalled their fainted Pokémon.

"Kyurem is the most powerful Pokémon in the Unova Region to begin with," I said, patting his crest. "He's been with me for six years now and we've trained through thick and thin. Now he's probably _the_ most powerful Pokémon in existence by this time and you think a simple team-up is enough to bring him down? You might as well go home with your tails between your legs!"

Kyurem growled a thank-you for my compliment before turning his attention back towards them. Shaye brushed her brown hair out of her blue eyes and pulled out another pokeball.

"Get the other people to safety," she told Matty as he tried to pick his way through the twisted wreckage of the caboose, confidence present in her voice. "Shoa and I will handle this."

She threw the pokeball high into the sky and out popped a Latios. He cooed loudly and flew back down towards Shaye.

"Shoa, Luster Purge!" she called, showing her trump card right away.

"Spin your Icy Wind around you as a counter shield!" I called, knowing that a Latios's Luster Purge was its strongest move, and a Dragon-Type move at that.

Kyurem obeyed and created a small blizzard around his body as the Latios dove at us with its claws encased in a shining light. Just as I planned, the Icy Wind deterred the Luster Purge perfectly and the rotation of the attack sent Latios spiraling backwards towards Shaye. It didn't crash back into her, regaining stability as it neared her.

"Give it up!" I laughed. "Even though it is a legendary, you seriously think a Latios is enough to beat Kyurem?"

"Shoa and I have been together for a long time," she said. "We trust each other enough to win this."

"But trust doesn't always cut it," I smirked. "You'll need a goal to help you be strong in life."

"What does he mean by that?" she asked Matty, who had just come crawling back through the wreckage.

"He's just ranting about his driving force," Matty said nonchalantly as he stepped over the twisted remains of the door. "His parents were killed by Team Rocket when he was really little and he made his life's goal to kill them."

"Don't brush that off like it's nothing!" I yelled, anger running through my veins. "They took everything from me! They burned my family in front of my eyes! I will take everything from them in return, including their lives!"

"Is that all that matters in life?" she said, stepping as close to me as the caboose deck would allow. "Revenge?"

"Not just in my life," I said, patting Kyurem as he ran. "You don't look like you're from Unova, but any chance do you know the legend of Unova's formation?"

Both of them shook their heads.

"I thought as much," I sighed. "But long ago there were two brothers who ruled Unova. Helping them was a great dragon Pokémon whose body was filled with both truth and ideals. Suddenly the brothers began to fight with each other and the great dragon's body split in two one part becoming the Black Dragon of ideals, Zekrom, and the other part becoming the White Dragon of truth, Reshiram. Each half served one brother and eventually the fighting died down and everything was okay, right?"

Both of them nodded.

"WRONG!" I yelled. "When the first dragon split, it didn't split into two, it split into three different dragons: Zekrom, Reshiram, and Kyurem! But Kyurem was claimed by none because it represented neither truth nor ideals. He represents the void within us all! And it is said that Kyurem waits for a hero to fill his body with truths or ideals, but I took things a step further. I filled Kyurem's heart with revenge. He was abandoned, forgotten by everyone and then remembered as a monster. And just like he is helping me find the Rockets that killed my parents, I've sworn to help him find his brothers and make them pay for what they did."

Shaye was silent for a moment as she reached out her hand, her Latios's eyes glowing as he boosted her psychic abilities.

"I want to see that for myself," she said as a felt a pressure on my temples

"Wait, what are you doing?" I said as the memories of my childhood in Lacunosa flashed before my eyes with a small sliver of pain.

Shaye said nothing as she reached out her other hand towards Kyurem's crest. He moaned and shook his head before roaring in pain as his memories were dragged out of his mind for Shaye to watch. I felt the pain as well as she dug around in my mind, watching my life from the beginning. It hurt so much that I couldn't contain the pain.

I screamed in agony in sync with Kyurem's roar as she came to the night my parents had died.

AND THAT'S A WRAP, PEOPLE. HOPED YOU LIKED IT AND REMEMBER TO REVIEW, IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 5: Memories

Hello everyone, I know it's been a while since I updated. I've had a recent bout with my depression and some pressure from school, but that won't stop me from writing. Remember, OC spots are still open for Team Jonah and his opponents. I can't guarantee that I will use every one of the OC's submitted, but I will use most of them. 

**Okay, people, how many of you thought it was Butch and Cassidy who killed Jonah's parents. If yes, then you guessed wrong. In this chapter, we find out who it really was. Oh, yeah, there is gonna be a kick-ass fight soon with some cool swords. **

Imagine a white hot poker being driven though your skull, getting stuck on pieces of your brain. That's how it felt. Only more real and painful than thinking about what it would feel like.

My entire life literally flashed before my eyes as Shaye sifted around for something, and since she was in my mind, I could tell what she was thinking. She wanted to find that breaking point that had driven me to be willing to go to hell and back to find revenge, and destroy anyone who stood in my path.

She passed my birthdays, preschool memories, holidays, each one containing an image too painful to bear: my mother and father smiling. In all of them I still had my dusty brown hair and green eyes instead of platinum hair and ice blue eyes. Suddenly we stopped at a date I knew all too well. It was March 21st: the day after I had turned five years old.

"SHAYE!" I yelled, feeling what was left of my heart crack even harder as my parents played with a five-year old me before my eyes. "NOT HERE!"

"Why not here?" she asked, as a spectral image of her appeared beside me.

"Because…" I stammered as the knock came at the door. "Because…"

My father smiled as he went to open the door, leaving my mother and me by the TV with my little Meowth and Arbok dolls. She would move the dolls every so often making me think they were real Pokémon and her smile grew even wider every time I laughed.

_"This was the day they died."_

My father opened the door and waiting for him was a man with green hair with a red R on his black shirt. My father's face cracked into a smile, but suddenly the man with green hair brought his fist back and punched father in the face as a woman with red hair rushed in with a knife and stabbed mother in the shoulder, knocking her over and pinning her to the floor before doing the same to father. I started crying and was kicked away by the man as he called out a yellow and black Pokémon that looked like an eel. He commanded it to use Flamethrower and it obeyed, spitting out a stream of flames onto my parents. He recalled the eel to its pokeball and as he turned, I saw he only had one eye. The other one was covered by a red patch with a silver lining around the red. He called to the woman and they left…left my family to die a death they didn't deserve.

Mother and father both howled in agony and writhed on the floor as the flames crept onto the rest of the living room, climbing onto the curtains and up the stairs. I kept screaming as I crawled away from the flames and into the fireplace, which was the only thing that was fireproof in the house. The flames continued to burn until jets of water appeared and cut through the flames as the Fire Brigade arrived. But it was too late. Mom and dad were already dead, their bodies charred black. The white body bags were brought in as a Nurse Joy tried to get me out of the fireplace.

I heard a whimpering sound from behind me. I turned to see Shaye was covering her mouth with tears streaming down her cheeks. Truthfully, the bottom rim of my goggles was filled with my own tears, but thankfully no one could see them.

"Now you know," I said, keeping my body facing away as the memory dissolved and the train tracks reappeared. Kyurem had stopped and the both of them were standing in the gravel between the rails. I jumped off Kyurem and stood by his side, rubbing his crest to distract the both of us from what we had just seen

"I'm so sorry," she whispered, her hands still covering her mouth.

"No," I said. "You aren't sorry. No one's sorry!"

"I really am, Jonah," she said as she reached out towards me.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" I yelled as I pushed her down and stood by Kyurem, who was starting to radiate cold like before his Glaciate attack.

We looked at them. Matty and his Lucario, who must have recovered from a Revive during our flashbacks, had taken positions in front of Shaye and her Latios, which was a pitiful and futile attempt at that. Even though there was a duel type advantage in Matty's favor, a single Dragon Rage, Dragon Pulse, Outrage, or Draco Meteor could finish them both. But I could tell that Kyurem only wanted to finish off that Latios that had invaded his memories that were so private, even I had never seen them.

"They know too much now," I told him as Matty tried to put Shaye further behind him. "What should we do?"

Suddenly a spire of ice appeared in my hand, growing longer and sharpening until I was holding a double-edged sword made of Kyurem's blue ice, shaped and sharpened by his powers.

"So that's how they'll atone for what they've done," I realized, liking the idea. But I had promised to help Matty become strong enough to help him exact his revenge. I was about to take his opportunity to do such that, but he had helped Shaye and proven his weakness anyway. He had no respect for the strong.

I made up my mind. Now that Shaye knew how they died, she could use it against me psychologically. She could also tell Matty and double the chances for a weakness.

"You both know too much about us now," I said to them. "We can't afford to take any chances now."

"What's the sword for?" Shaye asked. I cocked my head as a "you know perfectly well what it's for," look since she couldn't see my face behind my goggles.

I stepped forwards and spun the ice blade in my hands as I walked. Matty grabbed a nearby fallen branch in an attempt to protect Shaye further and swung it at me. I slashed it in two as then swiped at him. He managed to jump backwards as the blade caught the hem of his jacket, the frost spreading up and clinging to the cloth and sticking to his skin.

"OW!' he said, clutching his side where I had hit him. "Shit, that's cold!"

"Jonah, stop," Shaye said as her Latios charged another Luster Purge. "You're going to kill your friend!"

"Focus on your own opponent," I said as Kyurem's Dragon Rage stuck her Latios in the chest. "Let me focus on mine."

"Shoa!" she cried as she knelt down to help her Latios.

"Finish them quickly," I said. "We have a schedule to keep."

Kyurem nodded and let off another Dragon Rage as I turned back to Matty.

"I can't take any changes," I told Matty. "And you're weak."

"Arceus, Jonah!" he said as he held up his right hand like he was holding a sword. "'Can't say I didn't warn you!"

Suddenly a wave of blue shot from within his hand and solidified into a sword similar to mine. It wasn't ice that he was suing, but it was as solid as the ice that was in my hand.

Shaye apparently knew what it was and gasped.

"I should have known!" she exclaimed. "Only Aura Guardians train Lucario!"

"Aura?" I said.

"Yeah," Matty grinned as he cut the ice away from his jacket. "I was born with this ability to control my own life energy. I found out I could do it a few years back when I got my Lucario when she was a Riolu."

"Well, it won't save you now!" I snarled as I slashed at him.

He parried my thrust and stabbed back. His Lucario jumped in front to help out, but Matty stepped around her.

"This is my fight," he said. "Go help Shaye."

She nodded and jumped away as she slashed at my arm. I blocked and slashed up across his chest. He managed to jump backwards but the blade caught the same side of his jacket again, causing the ice to spread up around his arm. He swore and slammed it against the tree to break it off.

"Good luck," I said as he kept slamming his arm against the tree. "Kyurem's ice is unbreakable and can't be melted."

"So why aren't you frozen?" he asked, gesturing at my sword.

"Trade secret," I said as I spun around and dodged a strike from as I hacked at the base of his grip.

He jumped up one of the rails, trying to put some distance between us and nearly stepped onto the electric rail that powered the trains. His eyes widened and he windmilled his arms in attempt to regain his balance. I saw my chance and swept the tip of my sword up to his just chin, barely touching his skin. He was panting as he tried to balance on the one rail he was standing on.

"Check," I grinned.

"Mate!" Shaye exclaimed from outside my field of vision as I was lifted off the ground.

"WHAT?" I said as I saw it was her who was lifting me, her eyes glowing white with psychic power.

"Way to go, Shaye!" Matty yelled as he regained his balance.

I looked over at Kyurem for help, but saw he was on the ground, temporarily immobilized by the Latios's Psychic.

"It won't end like this," I said as Matty walked forwards with his Aura sword, knocking mine out of my hand where it turned to mist as Kyurem saved his power.

"Jonah, I'm not going to kill you," he said.

"Why?" I said.

"Because you're my friend," he said as Shaye lowered me to the ground.

"So you're just going to let him go?" Shaye asked. "Matty, he attacked you with a sword, he's frozen your right arm solid and you're just letting him go like that?"

"I read his Aura during our fight," he said. "I know how tortured he is just as well as you've seen in his memories. Your Aura is very strong, Jonah. But it's also very fragile."

"What do you mean?" I asked as the Latios released Kyurem, who charged another Dragon-Type attack, possibly Outrage.

"Hold it," I told him. "Let's hear what they have to say."

"Seeing death is bad for Aura," Matty explained. "I spent some time in Cameron Palace out in Hoenn, pouring over some of their old Aura mastering scrolls. Taking life diminishes the strength of one's Aura. Seeing death is the same. The more painful the death, the more fragile the Aura becomes."

"I see," I said as Kyurem dissolved the ice around Matty's arm. "What about his Aura."

Matty walked over to Kyurem and held up to his head. He closed his eyes for a few seconds before he winced and stepped backwards.

"He has an Aura just about as strong as yours," he told me. "And that's just because he's a legendary."

"Hello?" Shaye said. "I'm not sure where we stand on the whole recent him trying to kill you thing, but I'd like to get that resolved as soon as possible."

"Jonah?" Matty said.

"I'm not going to kill him," I said.

Kyurem growled in agreement before looking at the Latios.

"So we're still friends?" Matty asked.

I nodded and we shook hands. He smiled and fixed his hair under his hood. I smiled back as we started walking down the tracks towards our destination. Kyurem walked alongside me and Matty's Lucario walked on his side. Gravel crunched behind as Shaye walked up to us, her Latios floating beside her.

It was then that I actually took notice of what she looked like. She was mid height for someone who looked Matty's age, with long brown hair that cascaded down to the middle of her back. Her eyes were blue, but not my icy blue and seemed to glimmer slightly in the light. She was wearing a plain white t-shirt and jeans along with the running shoes that all traveling trainers wore and they were streaked with dirt stains, proving that she had traveled a lot recently.

"I guess I should come along," she sighed. "Just to make sure you two don't kill each other again."

Matty and I smiled at the joke.

"What is your goal?" I asked.

"My what?" she said, not getting what I meant.

"He's asking if you want to get stronger," Matty told her. "My goal is to be strong enough to face my mother and avenge the death of my father. Do you have a goal like that?"

"Not anymore," she said. "I completed my goal fairly recently."

"What was it?" I asked.

"I wanted to befriend a legendary," she said. "Did you guys hear about the tsunami in Altomare?"

"The one that happened like six years ago?" Matty asked. "And it turns out Team Rocket was involved?"

"I must have been in Hoenn at the time," I said, not knowing what she was talking about. "Would you mind explaining?"

"Sure thing," she said. "When I was ten, the day before I got my first Pokémon, I saw two legendaries, a Latios and Latias, protect the town from the wave, the Latios sacrificing itself in the process. That one display of power, a Luster Purge combined with a Mist Ball powerful enough to destroy a tidal wave….ever since then I had wanted to meet a being of such power. And being a psychic, the only way I could befriend a Latios was having equal psychic powers and equally powerful Psychic Pokémon."

Her Latios cooed and nuzzled her.

"I traveled around a lot afterwards," she continued, "mainly in Sinnoh, Hoenn and Johto, but I took a recent trip to Unova and where I met Shoa in the Dreamyard outside Striation City. I caught the rest of my Pokémon along the way there throughout all the regions I went to."

"What is your team?" I asked.

"Gardevior, Espeon, Bronzong, Haxorus, Metagross, and finally Shoa," she said as she patted her Latios.

"Those are some pretty powerful Psychic-Types," Matty whistled. "And plus, you're a psychic."

"Guilty," she smiled. "But I'm curious about one thing, Jonah."

"What is it?" I asked.

"How did you come to befriend a Pokémon like Kyurem?" she asked. "Shoa only came to me because of my powers. What did you share with him?"

"We have similar family situations," I said as I looked at him. "Being that both of us have no family."

"I still can't believe that happened to you," she said.

"I'd rather not talk about it," I said. "Just please don't mention it again…ever."

"Okay," she said. "And I guess I should apologize for controlling your body back on the train."

"Water under the bridge," I said as I looked at the horizon, where the sun had just reached its zenith. "We should be at the next station before nightfall if we hurry."

"In that case," Matty and Shaye said, "race you there!"

They took a few steps forwards and then turned around and looked at me.

"What?" I asked.

"We said we'd race you," Matty said. "That means that you need to run too."

I looked at Kyurem, who nodded and allowed me to recall him. I turned back to them and started jogging as they returned their Pokémon to their pokeballs. Matty and Shaye allowed me a head start before they started running alongside me. They were grinning widely as they ran. And as they did, my own lips curved up slightly.

_Maybe this friend thing won't be so bad after all,_ I thought.

**Aaaaand that's a wrap people, for now that is. Next time, Jonah calls in a favor, but from who? And are they ever going to get to the Indigo Plateau? And now we know who the true murder is, but does Jonah? What will happen and who will review it first? Stay tuned to find out!**

**Three things before I go: **

**1. Updates will be every two weeks at the latest with my new system of writing. **

**2. OC's are still being accepted, I need a lot to keep the plot going strong!**

**3. For those of you who don't know, Latias and Latios can disguise themselves as people, so the boy Jonah and Matty saved in the previous chapter was Shoa. **

**REVIEW PLEASE!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 6: New and Old Faces

**HEYYOOO! WHAT UP PEOPLE? I JUST SAW THE NEW POKEMON MOVIE WITH KYUREM AND KELDEO IN IT. I'M SO HAPPEY THAT KYUREM WASN'T A TOTAL VILLAN AND HAD A COOL VOICE ACTOR AS WELL. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DIDN'T SEE THE MOVIE ON CARTOON NETWORK LAST SATURDAY, KELDEO CHALLANGED KYUREM, GOT ITS ASS HANDED TO IT, RAN AWAY, CAME BACK, LOST AGAIN AND KYUREM LET IT GO. **

**BTW, OC'S ARE STILL BEING ACCEPTED. IF I PM'D YOU AND TOLD YOU I WILL BE USING YOUR OC, THEY WILL BE APPEARING AFTER THIS CHAPTER. **

The race towards the next station was…intriguing to me. I didn't know if this was a normal thing that people my age did, as I usually avoid all contact with humanity. But these two…a psychic and an Aura Guardian…made me feel like I wasn't so different.

Shaye's running shoes allowed her to pull ahead of Matty and I several times, but her failure to keep a steady pace became her downfall and she stopped against a tree, gasping for breath.

Matty and I were neck and neck for a good portion of the race, but slowly he began to fall behind as I pulled forwards. I looked back over my shoulder to see him also against a tree with Shaye on the other side of the tracks. I stopped and allowed them to catch up.

"Congratulations," Matty wheezed as he patted me on the shoulder. "You win."

Shaye did the same and slowly straightened up. She dug around in her backpack and pulled out a piece of folded paper.

"According to the region map," she said as she and Matty poured over the map. "The next station is in the town up ahead through the woods."

"With all the running we did," Matty said. "We should be there in about half an hour."

"I have an even better way," I said as I called out my Lapras. "Everybody on Lapras's shell."

All three of us boarded Lapras's shell. I sat at the front while Matty insisted he sit behind Shaye, to "make sure she didn't fall." It was almost sad how insecure he looked at that moment, sitting behind a girl I knew he liked. But sadly, I couldn't mock him now. I had to make sure we got moving.

"Use Ice Beam on the ground to make a slide," I said.

She did so and began to slide forwards on the ice.

"Not fast enough," I muttered. "Hydro Pump."

That sent us off like a rocket down the ice. I steered Lapras left and right to dodge trees in the way and rocks that jutted from the ground. Soon the trees began to thicken to the point that the ice couldn't get through the cracks between the trees.

"Well," Matty sighed. "I guess I'm up."

He called out his Gallade.

"Slice up those trees with Psycho Cut!" he called.

Gallade's arm blades glowed bright with energy as he slashed them across the trees, cutting a path straight through the woods. The ice then spread and formed the rest of the ice ramp and Lapras began to move forwards. Gallade kept on hacking through the trees, whirling and slashing with the Psycho Cut.

Soon, Gallade stopped short, the arm blades dying down.

"What's up, Gallade?" Matty asked.

Gallade turned and pointed at the mountain ahead.

"Try Close Combat," Matty suggested. "See if you can make a tunnel."

Gallade nodded and began a series of fast blows, punching and kicking the rock. After a few minutes, it stopped, leaving not even a dent in the rock.

"Good try," he said, recalling Gallade as I recalled Lapras.

"My turn," Shaye said. "Metagross, I choose you!"

The large Psychic/Steel-Type appeared with a flash.

"Meteor Mash!"

Metagross's front leg glowed. Its leg glowed white and cocked it at the rock. The powerful Steel-Type attack smashed through the rock.

"Keep going," Shaye said as she pushed a piece of rock aside so her Metagross could go inside the hole it had made.

Matty must have seen a chance were he could impress Shaye some more and rushed forwards to take the rock from her.

"Jonah, give us a hand here," he grunted as he threw the stone away.

Wanting to get through this as fast as I could, I ran forwards and picked up another rock as Metagross struck the mountain again. Soon we had a good system going. Shaye cleared the rocks away from her Metagross, Matty would take those rocks from her, and then I would take them from him and throw them to the side. After a while, we moved away from the light and couldn't see what we were doing.

"Do either of you have a Pokémon that knows a Fire-Type move?" I asked.

"Sorry," Matty said, I couldn't tell if he was shrugging, sheepishly grinning, or rubbing his head.

"I think I could help," Shaye said. "Gardevior, come on out!"

There was a flash of light from the pokeball opening up and releasing a Gardevior, but after that it was more darkness.

"Use Will-O-Wisp and control it with Psychic," she said.

A purple flame burst into existence, lighting the tunnel faintly. It wasn't a lot of light, but it was enough for me to see Shaye and Matty as well as Metagross. More time passed before I started getting impatient.

"Give me a second," I told them. "I'll be right back."

Before they could say anything back to me, I turned around and ran back out the small tunnel back to the light, where the sun had just passed the noon mark.

"This is taking too long," I muttered as the shadows lengthened on the ground. "Matty, Shaye, get out here."

A few seconds later, they came into the light.

"What's up?" Matty asked as he brushed some rock dust off his hoodie.

"Recall Metagross," I said as I pulled out Kyurem's pokeball.

"Why?" she asked.

"Unless you want him caught in the crossfire," I started as I enlarged the ball, "I think it would be a good idea."

Kyurem appeared with a roar and a flash of light. As soon as his feet touched the ground, a wave of cold spread over the ground and covered the grass with frost and a thin layer of ice.

"Uh, Jonah," Matty said. "Ice isn't good against solid rock, you know that, right?"

I ignored him.

"Glaciate the tunnel," I said. "Freeze it down to the other side of the mountain."

The waves of cold radiated off his body, billowing down the tunnel, covering the edges with a harsh blue ice.

"Now use Outrage!"

A wave of orange dragon fire formed at the corners of his mouth. The fire then swirled into a ball which then became a raging torrent of fire which rushed into the ice-covered tunnel entrance. A few seconds later, there was a tremendous explosion rocked the mountain. The ground shook and smoke billowed from the tunnel as Kyurem continued to pour the Outrage into the hole.

Around us, the small Pokémon that had taken cover when Kyurem first appeared ran for their lives. Rattata, Pidgey, Beedrill, all of them ran as the fire continued to cut the mountain in two. Shaye and Matty covered their heads as chunks of rock rained down from the top of the mountain, followed by six larger boulders that landed quite close to us and kicked up a large cloud of dust.

Soon another explosion echoed from the tunnel along with another cloud of smoke. We were through the mountain.

"That's enough," I told Kyurem. "Thank you for that."

He nodded and quietly returned to his pokeball.

"Matty," I said. "Here's something you should know. When something is flash-frozen, it becomes incredibly fragile, even solid rock. I had Kyurem freeze the mountain so it would cave in faster."

"You could have killed us!" Shaye said.

"How?" I asked as I started walking through the tunnel. "You weren't in the tunnel."

"You nearly brought the whole mountain down on our heads!" Matty chimed in.

"Keyword," I said raising my pointer finger towards the ceiling, "_nearly_ brought the mountain down."

Shaye groaned and walked through, seeing that no words would change what I thought. Matty on the other hand, kept on talking.

"You really are full of yourself," he said as we walked through the mountain towards the light at the other side, "aren't you, Jonah?"

"I wouldn't call it that," I shrugged.

"Then what do you call it?" he asked.

"I call it confidence in the abilities of my friends," I said. "My Pokémon friends as well as the two of you. If a rock was going to crush you, I'm sure you would have seen it and dodged it."

"One rock, sure," Matty said, "even if it was the size of a car. But six of them at one time?!"

"I have complete confidence in you," I told him.

"Jonah," Matty sighed. "You're the strongest Pokémon trainer I have ever met."

I stopped and turned back to him to listen. I sensed that he was going to say something important now, and thought I'd better listen.

"But let's face it," he said. "Someday, you'll run into someone stronger and you will get beaten eventually. And being arrogant will just make that fall even harder."

I glared at him and cut him off.

"Arrogant," he continued, "like you are right now, will only make defeat feel worse."

"Are you done?" I asked.

"Yes," he said.

"Good," I said as I turned back around and kept walking. "Now if it's okay with the two of you, I need to think about what I'll be facing in the first challenge and I'd like to have some silence while I think."

Neither of them objected, so I just kept walking towards the other side. A few minutes later, we were out of the tunnel and looking down on the next town. There was an outdated looking airfield down by the west side of the town, and sitting on the runway was a plane with a very familiar-looking crystal ice design on the tail.

"How did she know I was here?" I asked, realizing who the plane belonged to.

"Who knows you're here?" Shaye asked.

"My aunt," I said, "Lorelei, of the Kanto Region's Elite Four."

As we walked through the town, the local people looked at us strangely. They were very seedy-looking, with face tattoos and scars everywhere. Some of them made very inappropriate gestures at Shaye while others pulled small switchblades at Matty and I. Matty pulled his hood down lower over his face as some of them came up and blocked our way.

"Well, well, well," said the guy in the front, who looked to be about twenty-five. "Who do we have here?"

I just stood there, deciding not to say anything.

"Oooh, looks like we got ourselves a tough guy," said the boy as he looked around my body at Shaye. "Hey, babe, why are you hanging with these punks? Why don't c'ha come play with the big boys."

"The only punks I see here are the ones in front of me," Shaye said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Matty made a hissing sound which I interpreted as "you got burned." The gang around us all scowled and took a step forwards.

"You little shit!" said the leader. "Take the girl to my place. Get rid of the other two in the usual fashion."

"That is not a wise idea," said a new voice from behind the gangsters.

The boss turned and allowed me to see who had spoken. There were two people standing in the middle of the street, their features blurred by the setting sun. I recognized one of them by her height and pose, but I couldn't figure out who the other man was.

"If you want to go home with your legs still attached to your bodies," said the woman, "I suggest you listen to him."

"Yeah, right," sneered one of the gangsters, brandishing his switchblade. "Let's get 'em!"

The others abandoned their interest in us and rushed towards the newcomers.

The woman sighed. "They never listen do they?"

The man nodded and did a perfect backbend to avoid a knife slash. His leg then snapped up and caught his attacker between his legs. The man then did a backflip, lifting the boy over his head and flinging him over his shoulders. The boy dropped to the ground as the man swept his leg around and into the gut of another attacking gangster.

"Who is this guy?" Matty asked as the man continued to beat up a towns worth of hooligans empty-handed.

"He's somewhat familiar," Shaye said, tapping her chin. "I think I've seen him somewhere."

"He's familiar to me," I said, trying to remember. "I…I've definitely seen him before somewhere."

The man, who was now standing in the middle of a pile of unconscious hooligans in some kind of karate stance, looked our way.

"Behind you!" he warned as the gangster boss grabbed Shaye from behind, putting his knife to her throat.

"Okay, baby," he growled. "You and I are going to have some fun later. But for now,"

He raised his voice so we could hear him.

"If you guys want her dead, try and take me," he said.

"Why you!" Matty said as he started forwards. But before he could do anything stupid, the woman grabbed his shoulder.

"Let her go," I said, pulling out Froslass's pokeball.

"Jonah, let me handle this," Shaye grinned. "And Matty, I'll be fine. Just watch me prove it."

Her eyes suddenly glowed purple along with the knife that was being held to her throat.

"What the hell?" the gangster exclaimed as the knife was torn from his grip by a burst of psychic energy.

Shaye's body glowed as well and she flew out from his grip. She levitated a few inches off the ground, her hair billowing around her. She turned her wrist around and the gangster's knife pointed at him.

"You know what happens now?" she said sweetly. "You're going to learn that I'm not just another pretty face."

She flicked her wrist and the knife flew through the air and sank itself into the gangster's shoulder.

"OH GOD!" he screamed as blood spurted from around the blade. "I'M DYING!"

I rolled my eyes at his antics as Shaye's knees buckled. Matty rushed over to her as the glow in her eyes died, leaving her with her usual blue eyes.

"I…I didn't mean to," she whimpered as the gangster continued to scream. "I just…couldn't aim it."

"It's okay," Matty soothed as she started to cry. "Jonah, will you get that guy to shut up? He's starting to piss me off now."

I walked over to the guy, who was still screaming that he was dying.

"You're not dying," I told him as I smacked him across the face. "She missed the artery by a few inches. You'll be just fine. Just get to Nurse Joy or the nearest hospital."

He nodded and whimpered as I pulled the knife out of his shoulder and tossed it aside. He ran out of town, holding his bleeding shoulder, throwing a few looks over his shoulder to make sure we weren't following him.

"Weakling," I muttered as I turned around to the woman, who was standing right behind me. "Nice timing, auntie."

Lorelei smiled at me behind her glasses. "Good to see you Jonah," she said.

"Likewise," I replied, jerking my head at the man she had come with. "Mind introducing us?"

"We've already met, Jonah," said the man, who stood up to his full six foot-three height.

He was wearing nothing but a pair of white karate pants which were ratty and torn at the ankles. He was barefoot was well and had the body of a karate master. Then I remembered who he was.

"It has been a long time," I said. "Hasn't it, Bruno."

"Wait a minute, Jonah, you know Bruno?" Matty exclaimed, waving his arms around excitedly. "_THE_ Bruno of the Kanto Elite Four?!"

"Ex-Elite Four," Bruno said.

"It's a long story," I said.

"It is," Bruno smiled, turning his head to the sky, as if reminiscing about our first encounter.

"I might be able to help," Shay said. She had recovered quickly from her ordeal with the bikers. "Maybe Shoa and I can pull off a Sight Sharing."

"Sight Sharing?" Matty asked. "What's that?"

"It's when Shoa and I put our energy together," she began. "Then I look into Jonah's memories again and Shoa puts what I see into your minds."

"Who is Shoa?" Bruno asked.

"It's what she calls her Latios," Matty said. Bruno then made a face that suggested that he was impressed.

"Would it be alright if I did that?" she asked me.

I nodded and she called out Shoa, who appeared and sped right to Shaye's side, cooing. Shaye explained to him what they were going to do before she closed her eyes and reached out towards my forehead. I thought the date when I had met Bruno and I felt a familiar pressure in my head as the world around me vanished.

When everything came back into focus, I recognized when we were in my memories: exactly three weeks after Kyurem and I had become friends. The location was in the forest near Windoa City in the Unova Region.

"Where are we?" Matty asked, trying to touch a tree trunk only to have his hand phase right through it.

"My memories," I explained. "None of this is real, so you can't touch anything."

"Shh," Shaye said as heavy footsteps fell in the bush behind us.

The five of us turned and looked as Kyurem walked through the trees. He was the same size then as he was now, but what everyone was more focused on who was riding on his back.

It was me when I was five, but I looked much different now. My eyes and hair were the same colors as they had been, but I looked so much different. My small Lacunosa orphanage uniform was tattered and ragged and I looked like I hadn't eaten in weeks. We had intended to go to Sinnoh after I left, but weather while flying and a severe heat wave in Sinnoh had forced us to go to Kyurem's old home before the Great Chasm: an old abandoned mining facility.

Neither of us made any sounds, as we had the authorities on our tail. Not far behind us came the barking sound of Officer Jenny and some Herdiers who had chased me when I had gone into the city to find something to eat. Not wanting people to know he was outside the mine, Kyurem and I had opted to run back to the tunnels and camp out there until it was safe to go back.

"There he is!" shouted an officer. "Hey, kid, come over AAAHHH!"

As he came into the clearing, Kyurem fired off an Icy Wind that coated the man in ice.

"Kyurem!" called Officer Jenny as she burst through the bushes. "Put that child down now, in the name of the law!"

"Leave us alone!" I cried as Kyurem launched a Dragon Pulse, knocking down a bunch of trees in their path.

"Come on, kid," Jenny said as she and Herdier jumped over the logs and ran over to us. She jumped up and grabbed my leg and tried to pull me off Kyurem.

"GET AWAY!" I screamed and kicked her hand off as Kyurem turned and blasted the ground at their feet at point-blank range with Outrage, which made a blast that threw her and Herdier back a good twenty yards.

"Jenny!" called another officer as he picked her up. She was burned and unconscious from the Outrage, so he picked up his radio and yelled into it. "Mayday, mayday, officer down! Kyurem is in the woods outside the city with a small child riding on his back. Child is believed to be the missing Jonah Taylor of LacunosAAAAA!"

Kyurem barbequed him before he could finish his sentence. While the rest of the police as well as everyone else who was looking at my memories were seeing Kyurem as a monster, I knew what was really happening. Kyurem had never had a friend after the first dragon split. He had taken refuge in the mine up ahead when he was very young, and trained himself to be strong, having to battle the Swords of Justice time and time again. Then he had moved to the Giant Chasm where there might be a chance for him to get a friend. But everyone had been so afraid of him that they stayed away from Crater Forest, so he stayed alone. Everyone except me.

Kyurem was now fighting to protect me-his only friend. I would have done the same thing for him. He didn't care who got hurt, because they got what they got for trying to take me away.

Back on the battlefield, Jenney had gotten back up and she pulled out a pokeball, ready for the deciding battle.

"Ferrothorn," she called. "I need your help!"

The Iron Barbs Pokémon appeared with a flash of light.

"Use Flash Cannon!" Jenny said, striking a dramatic pointing pose.

"Dodge it and use Draco Meteor!" I said.

Both Pokémon obeyed and Ferrothorn attacked first, firing a beam of white light at Kyurem, who dodged it quickly and launched a shower of orange meteors at Ferrothorn. Since Kyurem had better stats, the attack landed way too fast for Jenny to give the order to dodge. Ferrothorn was hit by Kyurem's attack and pounded into the dirt by wave after wave of meteors. When the smoke cleared, Ferrothorn was knocked out, around six feet deep into a crevice in the shape of its body.

Jenny fell to her knees. Around her lay the unconscious and/or possibly dead bodies of her fellow officers. She had lost big time, and there was no way to turn it around.

I hopped off Kyurem's back and walked over to her.

"I'm not going back," I told her, my voice shaking with part anger, part excitement. "There is no way I'm going back to that orphanage."

"But why?" she asked. "You had a good, safe life there. Why throw it away and run off with a monster?"

"HE'S NOT A MONSTER!" I yelled at her. "HE'S MY BEST FRIEND!"

Jenny cringed as Kyurem bent down and roared loudly, the sound shaking the trees around us. She returned her Ferrothorn and scooted away from us as we approached her.

"We're gonna go to the mine now," I told her. "And if you try to follow us, he'll freeze the whole city solid."

She nodded and pointed at her fallen comrades. "Will you at least allow me to get medical help for them?"

I looked at Kyurem and he nodded.

"Okay," I said to her as I climbed back onto Kyurem. "But remember: if you try to follow us, you're dooming the whole town."

With that, Kyurem turned and ran towards the mine. The dirt on the path froze over as he walked by. Soon the forest gave way to a rocky cliff covered with mine cart tracks. The top was open like the crater of a volcano with a large crane rig sitting on the lip of the crater. The metal of the old mining equipment was brown with rust and corroded with frost from being around Kyurem.

"Home," I said in sync with my past self.

Kyurem then ran up the mountain, jumping from cliff to cliff up to the main tunnel. I got off him then and walked inside alongside him. We looked down at the center mining pit, which was covered with small tunnels and train tracks for mine carts. At the very center was a large steel circle, which had probably been the turntable for the mining carts. Behind that was a large cave, big enough for Kyurem to fit through.

"Is that it?" I asked, pointing at the cave.

He nodded and jumped down onto the old turntable, causing the rusty metal to creak loudly five stories below. He then looked up at me, as if he was expecting me to jump down with him.

"I'm gonna walk it," I yelled down at him. "I don't think I can jump as well as you can."

He suddenly charged an Ice Beam and swept it across the stairs leading from where I was down to where he was. I remembered how that had been very confusing to me at first, but then when I saw him go back over it again, I saw what he was doing.

"It's a slide!" I exclaimed as Kyurem finished construction on the five story icy slide. "Cool!"

I hopped on it and felt myself whiz down there faster than what I would have traveled if it was a normal slide. I yelled and whooped as I slid down the frozen steps, clearing five stories of stairs in less than a minute. I slid to a stop at Kyurem's feet, still laughing. The ice dragon didn't make any sound as I stood up.

"That was really fun!" I said. "Thank you."

He growled and turned around, walking towards the cave. I started to follow him, but something crashed behind us. We both expected it to be Officer Jenny or the other police officers, but when we turned around we all saw that it was a younger Bruno. He must have stepped on the slide and slipped and fell down here, because he was face down on the metal.

"Are you alright?" I asked as he pulled himself up.

"Yes, thank you," he said.

"Are you gonna try and take me?" I asked as Kyurem got ready to defend. "'Cause I won't leave with you!"

"Heavens no!" he laughed. "Not unless you want to go."

"You don't know who I am, do you?" I asked, very confused at this.

"Not really," he laughed. "My name is Bruno. What's yours?"

"Jonah," I said, "Jonah Taylor. And this is my partner and best friend, Kyurem."

"Hello to the both of you," he smiled.

"Hi," I said, sensing that he wasn't a hostile person or someone who was tricking me. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead," he said as he sat down cross-legged on the metal.

"Why are you here?" I asked. "This is Kyurem's home…people are afraid of him and leave him alone."

"Are you afraid?" he asked me.

"No," I said, sitting down.

"Then if there is one exception to the rule," he said, "there can be another."

We chatted for a little while more about random things and he gave me an apple, which I thankfully accepted as I hadn't eaten in days.

"Jonah," he asked me as I finished the fruit. "Why did you run away?"

"I didn't like that place," I told him. "The grown-ups were bad, the food was bad, and one of the other kids tried to kill me."

"So why did you leave?" he asked. "Those are reasons to not like a place, but if you left then there's something else that was on your mind."

"I don't really know," I said.

"Did you want to go on an adventure?" he asked.

"Not really," I said.

"Neither did I," he laughed. "But when I got my first Pokémon, I decided that I wanted to see more and do more with my life. So I made it my goal to be one of the greatest trainers in the world."

"Is that why you're here?" I asked.

"Yes," he said. "I wanted to get stronger so I could do even more than I could before, so I flew out from Kanto to Unova the first chance I got."

"So if you're strong," I said, "you can do things you couldn't do before?"

"Yes," he said.

"Then that will be my goal," I said, standing up and clenching my fist. "I will become the greatest Ice Master in the world."

Bruno smiled at me as the memory dissolved and we were left on the runway of the old airport.

"So I see you decided to pursue your goal," he said. "Lorelei has told me of your strength."

I nodded. "Have you gotten stronger, Bruno?"

He nodded back. I reached into my pocket and pulled out Articuno's pokeball, holding it in front of me, dramatically.

"Then I challenge you to a battle!"

Matty and Shaye gawked at me while Lorelei just looked surprised.

"Jonah, this is Bruno we're talking about," Matty said. "He's a master of Fighting Type Pokémon, and Ice Types are weak against Fighting Pokémon."

"I beat you when I had a type disadvantage," I reminded him.

"Yeah, but Bruno is like, a hundred times stronger than me!" he exclaimed.

"I still challenge," I said, tuning Matty out.

"I accept," he smiled and folded his arms.

"We'll both use three Pokémon," I said. "Battle will be over when all three are unable to continue."

"No," he said. "I want you to use all three Pokémon, Jonah."

I paused, feeling a little confused.

"I, on the other hand," he grinned. "I will only be using one."

This surprised us all.

"Bruno, are you sure?" Lorelei asked. "I've seen Jonah battle Lance before and win with a single attack. Do you really think that one against three are fair odds?"

He nodded.

"I want to test you for myself!" he said. "And there's no better way to start than with a Pokémon battle between old friends."

"Fine," I said as I walked a good distance away.

"Now, Bruno said, as she settled back into a karate stance. "Show me your true power!"

"I'll be the referee," Matty said as he ran to the middle ground in between us. "The three-on-one battle between Jonah Taylor of Lacunosa Town and Bruno will now begin. Jonah is allowed to use three Pokémon while Bruno will use only one. The match will be over when all Pokémon being used by one side are unable to continue."

He looked at us to see if we were ready. Bruno and I nodded in sync.

"So trainers," he called. "Choose your Pokémon!"

"Articuno," I called, flinging the ball high into the sky. The legendary bird of Ice appeared with a flash, screeching as Bruno threw his pokeball.

"Hitmonchan!" he called. "Into the ring!"

The Fighting-Type appeared in a kneeling position before looking up and throwing a few punches.

"Battle," Matty said, raising his arm high, "BEGIN!"

"Hitmonchan," Bruno said. "Sky Uppercut!"

Hitmonchan jumped high and struck Articuno in the chest, the Fighting-Type move did super effective damage, but Articuno's flying half kept him from fainting entirely.

"Stay strong," I yelled. "Strafe the ground with you Ice Beam and stop it from moving!"

Articuno righted himself in the air and obeyed. He dove down low, charging his Ice Beam.

"Thunderpunch!"

Hitmonchan jumped again, its right fist glowing with electricity. I was shocked, almost as much as Articuno was when the Thunderpunch hit. He crashed to the ground, Knocked-Out.

"Articuno is unable to battle," Matty said. "The victor is Hitmonchan."

"What?" I said to myself as I returned Articuno. "How the hell could I lose with a full type advantage?"

"Show your next Pokémon," Matty said.

"Fine," I snarled. "Regice, go!"

A flash of light and the Iceberg Pokémon appeared.

"Zap Cannon!"

Regice charged a sphere of electricity and fired at Hitmonchan.

"Follow up with Charge Beam!" I said.

Hitmonchan had no time to dodge the Zap Cannon while it was recovering from its Thunderpunch, so both attacks scored consecutive direct hits. When the smoke cleared, Hitmonchan was standing in a shallow crater, arcs of electricity sparking off its body, showing it had been paralyzed by the two Electric-Type attacks.

"Now, end this with Ice Beam," I said.

Regice fired the beam of crackling cold energy at Hitmonchan. The beam made impact without a hitch, encasing Hitmonchan deep within a sheet of ice.

"Hitmonchan is," Matty started to say when the ice started to tremble. "Huh?"

The ice shattered, and Hitmonchan flew towards Regice. It was still experiencing some effects from the paralysis, but Bruno still gave the attack.

"Use your Fire Punch," he said.

Hitmonchan's fist burst into flame as it pummeled Regice into the ground with a series of fast body blows.

"Follow up with Close Combat!" Bruno said.

Regice didn't have any time to react. Even while it was handicapped, Hitmonchan scored direct hits. When the smoke cleared, Regice was down.

"Regice is unable to battle," Matty called as I recalled Regice to his pokeball. "The victor is Hitmonchan!"

"Kyurem!" I was almost yelling at this point as I threw the pokeball. "End this fool now!"

The Boundary Pokémon appeared and roared. The intimidation of his sheer size and power forced Hitmonchan to step back. I knew how it felt, as I was afraid as well. Every trainer that I had ever faced who had had any strength had only made it past Articuno. And that usually took five of their Pokémon, leaving only one to face Regice. But now I was down to Kyurem, and seeing that Bruno had made it this far, it was well within the possible range that Hitmonchan could defeat Kyurem. If that did happen, my goal of being the strongest would be crushed…and the world's strongest Pokémon would be beaten. That would leave both of us in shambles. So I wouldn't let that happen.

"Your third legend," Bruno smiled. "That is quite a feat, Jonah. Collecting all three of the most powerful Ice-Types. That takes dedication."

"I will do anything to achieve my goal," I said. _Ice type moves aren't effective against Hitmonchan, but Kyurem's Dragon-Type half will stop Fire Punch from doing serious damage. We'd better stick to long-range Dragon-Type attacks from here on out. _

"Battle Begin!" Matty called.

"Dragon Rage!"

"Thunderpunch!"

The two attacks met, and caused an explosion that hurled Hitmonchan away. Now my confidence rose again. Kyurem's sheer power dwarfed that of Hitmonchan's. And the paralysis from Regice's Electric Attacks was hampering it even further, so there was no possible way Kyurem could lose this battle.

"Hitmonchan, are you okay?" Bruno asked.

His Pokémon nodded and got up, clutching it's hand that had been hit.

"Outrage!" I called.

The torrent of orange dragon fire rushed from Kyurem's mouth. Hitmonchan tried to dodge, but Kyurem was way too fast. Another explosion tossed Hitmonchan to the other side of the runway.

"Finish this," I said smiling at the victory at hand.

"Close Combat!"

A fist slammed into Kyurem's head, who roared in pain and took a step back. Hitmonchan had charged up the runway while Kyurem was focused on charging a Glaciate attack to end the battle.

"Kyurem!" I yelled, running onto the battlefield and over to my friend. "Are you okay?"

He growled and stood up. The air around us turned harsh and freezing as the Glaciate finished charging.

"Alright," I said as I walked back to my corner. "So let's finish this. Use Glaciate!"

Kyurem let loose another roar as the power of a thousand ice ages rushed off his skin, collecting around Hitmonchan. When the mist cleared, there was a block of ice standing where Hitmonchan was, the Pokémon's outline visible within the ice.

"Hitmonchan is unable to battle," Matty announced. "The victor is Kyurem. Which means the match goes to Jonah!"

I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding. I had been holding a little doubt that if the Glaciate attack would hold Hitmonchan. But now it was over.

"A good battle," Bruno laughed as he sprayed a Hyper Potion on where Hitmonchan's Close Combat attack had hit. "You both have gotten stronger."

"Thank you, Bruno," I said.

"Jonah," Matty said, his arms crossed and his face set in an "I told you so," manner. "You almost lost just now."

"Shaddup," I muttered. "I still won."

"You were down to the wire," he said. "You lost when Articuno had a type advantage, then when Regice paralyzed Hitmonchan. It took Kyurem, your strongest Pokémon, _the_ strongest Pokémon, to win the battle."

"I still won," I growled, suddenly feeling a slight pressure behind my eyes.

"Jonah," Lorelei said as she handed me a pair of pokeballs. "Here are Beartic and Vanilluxe."

"Thanks, auntie," I said as I handed her Froslass and Glaceon. "Take good care of them.

"Matty," Bruno said. "I have a proposition for you."

He pulled out three pokeballs.

"These are Machamp, Poliwrath, and Primeape, three of my most powerful Fighting-Types. I would like you to raise them."

Matty looks stunned. "You're offering me Pokémon like that?"

Bruno nodded.

"Why?"

"You look like a fighter," he smiled. "And a fighter needs some Fighting-Types."

"Okay," he said as he fished out his Luxray, Empleon, and Staraptor. "Take good care of them, please."

Bruno nodded.

"Well, now that that's over," Lorelei said, gesturing to her plane. "How about I give you a ride to the Indigo Plateau?"

"Thanks, Ms. Lorelei," Shaye said as we bored the plane.

I was the last one to board, so I tossed one last look at the setting sun.

I knew that Matty was right. Even though I had won the battle, I knew I had barely squeaked by. If I had used any other Pokémon, I would have lost. I knew I should take Matty's advice and take down how cocky I would act in battle.

"Fine," I said to no one in particular. "I'll start trying to value the strength of others from now on."

With that, I got on board and we took off for Johto.


End file.
